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Sleep, Rest, and Breast-Feeding

Topic Overview

Rest and sleep are important to breast-feeding women for keeping up their energy and their milk production.

Help yourself sleep well

Avoid or limit caffeine, especially in the hours before bedtime. Caffeine can keep you awake.

Use the evening hours for settling down.
Avoid watching TV and using the
computer or phone if they keep you from getting to sleep.

Make exercise a regular part of your life, but don't do it within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime.

Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. Try using a sleep mask to help you sleep.

Take a warm bath before bed.

Make your own sleep routine. Try to have the same bedtime and wake-up time each day.

Manage stress. The stress and worry that come with having a child who isn't sleeping well may be causing you sleep problems too.

Take naps and find time to rest for short periods throughout the day, such as when your baby sleeps.

You may be able to collect and store breast milk so that your partner can feed the baby while you sleep. Because both you and the baby have to learn how to breast-feed, you may want to wait a few weeks before you start pumping breast milk.

Get plenty of rest

You likely will not have a normal schedule
when you first start to breast-feed. But you can take naps and find time to
rest for short periods throughout the day, such as when your baby sleeps.

In addition to rest, exercise will also help you
feel your best. For the time you are
breast-feeding, try to plan a routine that
incorporates both rest and exercise.

It is
very important to ask for help when you need it. Ideally, plan ahead for
certain periods that a friend, relative, or babysitter can come in to help with
your chores and child care so you can exercise or rest.

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How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.